ABSTRACTS

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The use of digital video making projects to enhance motivation in the English Foreign Language Teaching high school classroom

Ilse Saavedra

José Gabriel
Brauchy

Abstract

This study was framed within an interpretative paradigm with the
categorization, analysis and interpretation of the participants’ opinions and experience regarding the use of Digital Video Making Projects (DVMP) to enhance motivation through collaborative work
in the English Foreign Language Teaching (EFLT) high school classroom as an initiative developed by the EFLT Department of a public high school located in the Tomé area in the Biobío region. By
using a qualitative research design, findings collected through open ended questions survey administered to both fifty- two students from 10th and 11th grades and two certified English teachers.
Findings revealed that DVMPSSs did contribute to enhance motivation when students worked collaboratively. However, outcomes also revealed that students need previous training on the use of
Information, Communication and Technologies (ICT) resources to benefit from the use of DVMPs in the EFLT classroom. Findings also highlighted that working in a supportive and collaborative
classroom environment can impact on students’ motivation.

Level of comprehension of linguistic texts: an overview from
disciplinary academic discourse

The following research work has as an objective to determine the comprehension level that students from a Spanish and
communication teaching program achieve when reading linguistics disciplinary texts. In order to do this, we designed two comprehension tests that were piloted and validated through expert
judgement. These tests were applied to 60 students from a language teaching program from a public university of the central regions of Chile. Following van Dijk & Kintsch’s model
(1983), these tests were designed to measure the microstructural coherence level, mesostructural coherence level, macrostructural coherence level and situation model. The results of this
investigation show a low achievement from the part of the students in general, that does not exceed 60% and that decreases in tasks that were aimed at measuring deeper comprehension
levels. This article concludes with a reflection regarding the needs of the creation of programs that focus in the development of written discourse comprehension targeted at university
students.